“It was awful late last night when I heard it,” began the boy. “Mrs. Ramsy owed mother for some washing, and she said if I went after the money late, when she had time to—bother with me, she would give it to me. Well, I waited until I saw she had slicked up the work the girls used to do, and I was going to knock at the side door, when I saw two strange men get out of an automobile, and make for Ramsy’s front door.”
Andy paused, evidently expecting some show of surprise at this information.
“Well, go on, Andy,” urged Cora. “What did the strange men have to do with it all?”
“They asked for Miss Schenk, and I just guessed right. They were detectives!”
Andy’s eyes opened and closed in nervous excitement. To talk of detectives! To have seen them and to have heard them talk!
“Well,” spoke Cora, almost smiling, “it was certainly right for Miss Schenk to have detectives look for her valuables.”
“That’s all right,” assented the boy, “but wait till you hear! They told her—them two big fellows, that you—had the empty earring box, and that they got it from you!”
For a moment Cora was quite as indignant as she rightly supposed Andy to be.
“Did they say they got it from me?” she questioned.
“They said they were on the right track and would have the diamonds back to Miss Schenk in one day. Then, when I heard them say your name, and that they had got the box out here, I just rubbered fer fair, I did.”